


Confusion

by kittykaty



Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-29
Updated: 2017-07-05
Packaged: 2018-11-21 02:02:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 18,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11347575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kittykaty/pseuds/kittykaty
Summary: Aiba and Nino are a very happy and quite cheesy couple. One day, though, a stupid paparrazzo brings huge troubles into their life and even Arashi might be in danger. Is there a way to solve this without anyone getting harmed?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, finally, here it is, my threesome story with "Kaze" as it had been wished by some of the members from my former LJ comm.  
> I emphasize that this is FICTION although we might wish for some parts of this story to be true^^;

Nino checked his watch. There was still half an hour left until the filming for VSA would begin, so he had some time to relax after the just finished photo shoot.

He opened the door to their green room and was greeted with the usual picture.

Jun and Ohno were sitting on the left side of the table, chatting about everything that came to their mind. Usually, Ohno was more of a silent listener but whenever he was with Jun he would suddenly become talkative. They looked up when Nino entered and greeted him with a cheerful smile.

Sho was sitting at the head of the table, a stack of newspapers in front of him. He had just reached for one of them when Nino had entered and was acknowledging his arrival with a nod.

Then, Nino turned to the last member of their group and was hit by a full sunshine smile. Aiba, sitting on the right side of the table, reached out for the newcomer waiting for Nino to cuddle into his arms.

“Kazu, I've missed you!” Aiba said and shook his arms, indicating Nino to finally come closer.

“We've only seen each other about two hours ago at the breakfast table,” Nino murmured but cuddled himself into the provided embrace nevertheless.

“Too long ago,” Aiba whispered into his ear and kissed his boyfriend's temple.

Nino enjoyed the tenderness of the kiss and returned it with a soft stroke over Aiba's arms that he had wrapped around Nino's waist.

Obviously content about finally having his boyfriend back in his arms, Aiba continued reading his script for the drama. Once in a while he nuzzled Nino's hair or brushed his thumb over Nino's hand lovingly assuring him that he was still very aware of his boyfriend's presence.

The other band members didn't mind Nino and Aiba cuddling in front of them. In fact, when they had told them about their relationship about one year ago they had been overly supportive and truly happy for them. Still, the five of them decided to keep this a secret between them. Until now they had managed very well. Not even the staff was suspecting anything.

Since Nino had nothing to do at the moment, he simply leaned against Aiba's chest and closed his eyes. He could feel Aiba's chest moving up and down, felt his partner's heartbeat and breathed in Aiba's special scent. The warmth spreading from Aiba's body surrounded Nino and soon made him feel calm and relaxed.

Nino suppressed a sigh, not wanting to give his feeling of absolute satisfaction away to the others. He only felt that way in Aiba's embrace and he couldn't understand why it had taken them so long to finally realise that their feelings for each other were more than just friendship.

However, Nino would never forget that evening, when Aiba had invited himself for a gaming session into Nino's apartment. They had ordered food and Aiba and brought some cans of beer. After dinner, they had started their game until Aiba suddenly told Nino about his feelings.

It had been out of the blue but so natural and so Aiba that Nino had started to laugh and cry at the same time. It had taken some minutes until he had been able to tell the confused Aiba that he was feeling the same way for his friend but had kept his feelings for himself in order not to endanger their band.

They had ended in Nino's bed, the two of them cuddling and kissing (nothing more – they had decided that they had time after all), whispering sweet vows of love into each others ears that made Nino blush even now. He had never imagined himself as being someone who could say cheesy lines but for Aiba he was willing to fulfil every wish the other one might have. Aiba was his everything and although he would only tell Aiba that once in a week (he had an image to keep up after all), he was reminded about this fact everytime when he thought about his boyfriend...

“... Kazu”, he suddenly heard Aiba whispering into his ear. “I love you too!”

Nino smiled. He could never understand why Aiba knew what was going on in his head, but he did and it made Nino feel all bubbly inside.

Instead of giving an answer, he only brushed over Aiba's naked arm, knowing very well that Aiba understood this gesture and that it was enough for him. Aiba never asked Nino to voice his feelings (well, only sometimes when they were all sweaty and sticky from the body liquids they had just shared) and Nino was thankful for that.

Aiba was all he could have wished for in his life and he never wanted this feeling to change.

\- * - * -

The VSA filming was fun as always and when they reunited in their green room to grab their stuff, everybody was in a good mood – except for Nino.

“Why do I have to have this stupid photo shooting NOW?!” he whined and pouted, making Aiba smile despite Nino's childish behaviour. “I rather want to go home with you,” he went on and watched Aiba grabbing his jacket.

Actually, the “home” he was referring to was Aiba's flat. Nino was still paying the rent for his former apartment in order for them to have a place to go when they needed their space (however, it was basically only Nino who needed some “me-time” once in a while). Usually, they would live together in Aiba's flat which was way too big for one person anyway. Nino never understood why Aiba bought it in the first place but now he was happy since there was enough space for the two of them.

“It'll be fast. You're a pro after all,” Aiba soothed his boyfriend, while patting his soft hair lovingly. “I'll make dinner and when you're back we can eat together. How does this sound?” he asked.

Delighted about Aiba's idea, Nino found his high spirit back. “Sounds perfect! I'll give my best to finish the photo shoot as soon as possible!” he cheered.

“I'll be waiting for you,” Aiba chuckled and bid his goodbye to Nino with a caring kiss on his boyfriend's nose.

Watching Aiba's back getting smaller, Nino took a deep breath, preparing himself for his next job. He really wanted to finish it fast to get back to his lover.

\- * - * -

It took Nino indeed only half an hour to satisfy the photographer. He had already texted Aiba that he was on his way when he saw a familiar silhouette also waiting for a taxi outside of the building.

“Jun-pon, what are you doing here?” Nino asked and stood next to his friend and colleague.

“I was having a short conversation with the staff about the upcoming concert,” Jun replied. “You've finished your job?” he wanted to know.

Nino nodded. “Now I really want to go home. I am super hungry.”

Jun laughed. “You're really lucky to have Aiba cooking dinner for you,” he remarked and for a short moment Nino thought that his friend looked terribly sad. However, the next second he was grinning at Nino again.

“I am, although you're cooking skills are way better,” Nino replied and joined Jun's laughter.

“But Aiba's food is flavoured with love. I don't think I can beat that,” Jun gave back thoughtfully and Nino nodded. 

He knew very well that Aiba was pouring his heart into everything he did for Nino which made Aiba so precious to him. Therefore, he was more than willing to eat fried rice for the third time this week because it was apparently one of the few dishes Aiba could actually cook.

Suddenly, Nino felt a soft touch on his hair. He moved back in surprise, but it was only Jun, picking something out of his hair.

“Tiny pieces of glitter,” Jun said and showed it to Nino.

“It's from the photo shoot,” the older one explained. “I guess there are more but I was too lazy to comb all of them out because I really want to go home.”

Jun sighed. “You should really take better care of you, Nino!”

With this, he leaned closer to Nino again to pick all of those little pieces out of Nino's hair. Grinning to himself, Nino let him do as he pleased, because he knew it was no use to tell Jun to stop...

\- * - * -

Nino was walking towards the room that had been assigned to Arashi for the upcoming Music Station recording.

Aiba had left the flat earlier than Nino this morning as he had a meeting because of his upcoming drama. Nino was truly happy for Aiba to have received the main role in a Getsu-9 drama but he missed having breakfast together at least once or twice a week. He was truly looking forward to the day, Aiba would finish filming.

Opening the door, Nino wondered if Aiba would already be back but when he stepped inside, he was not only greeted with the absence of his boyfriend but also with the troubled faces of his other friends.

“What happened?” Nino asked as he sat down. Judging their faces, something pretty bad must have happened and Nino just hoped that Arashi was not in danger.

Instead of giving him an answer, Sho just slid a magazine over to Nino.

With raised eyebrows, Nino looked at it. However, when he saw the front page his blood froze.

ARE ARASHI'S NINOMIYA AND MATSUMOTO IN A RELATIONSHIP?

It was printed in big and bold letters to make sure nobody would be able to NOT read it. Supporting the headline were pictures of Jun and Nino smiling at each other. Nino recognized himself and Jun wearing the clothes from the previous evening, so the pictures must have been snapped when they had been waiting for the taxi.

With shaking hands, Nino opened the magazine to go on reading as the front page suggested. It got worse on the inside of the magazine which showed Jun leaning closer to Nino and a last big picture of Jun's back, hiding Nino nearly completely which could be easily misunderstood as a kissing position (which was actually what the huge caption next to it suggested).

Slowly, the shock about the pictures ebbed away and allowed Nino's anger to raise.

“Stupid paparazzi!” he shouted and grabbed the magazine to toss it on the floor.

His friends pressed their lips together. Sho was the first one to speak.

“We already asked Jun but Ohno and I want to hear it from you as well. What happened yesterday?” he wanted to know and Nino took a deep breath to calm down.

“Jun and I met outside after work, talked for a while and then Jun picked the pieces of glitter that were left from the photo shoot out of my hair,” Nino explained.

Ohno nodded, making Nino think for a moment that he looked relived, and then Sho spoke again.

“Thanks for telling us. We just heard the same story from Jun. These scandal papers are really a pain in the ass,” he said and Nino felt relieved. It was important to him that his friends were on his side.

Finally, Jun, who had been silent until now, voiced his anger as well.

“This is just plain stupid. As if we'd kiss right on the street... none of us would be so stupid. They are just making tons of money again with this...,” he began to rage and only stopped when Ohno put his hand on his arm.

“I am sure, Julie will make them pay for it,” Sho assured them.

“You don't think Arashi is in danger?” Nino voiced his biggest fear. He didn't care what happened to him but he would never forgive himself if anything happened to their band.

“Not at all,” Sho waved Nino's fears away. “The management will quickly reveal that this is just a huge lie and in a week from now nobody will be talking about this anymore,” he said and smiled at Nino assuringly.

Suddenly, the door opened and Aiba entered.

“What happened?” he asked. Just like Nino, Aiba was able to immediately sense that something was off.

However, before anyone could say anything, Aiba stepped onto the magazine Nino had tossed away some minutes ago. He picked it up and after reading the headline, he opened it to look at the pics. His face showed no reaction and Nino began to panic. He needed to clarify that it was all a big lie.

“Jun and I didn't kiss,” he therefore blurted out. “He was only…,”

He was interrupted by Aiba. “I know,” he simply said and sat down next to Nino, closing the magazine and putting it on the table, turning it around so that the front page wasn't showing anymore.

“The photographer was pretty good though,” Aiba went on. “He was able to catch you in the right angle to make it look like you kissed.”

Jun snorted while Sho and Ohno only nodded sadly. Aiba was right, this wasn't only a picture of a simple paparazzo that was usually waiting for them in front of the TV stations or their homes to snap a simple photograph. It had been someone who knew what he was doing and who was ruthless enough to sell these pictures.

Nino was starring at Aiba and decided that his boyfriend was simply the best. Aiba did not even doubt Nino for one second.

“Thanks,” Nino whispered when he placed a soft kiss on Aiba's temple. His partner just took his hand and pressed it understandingly.

“What do you think will happen now?” Aiba asked then, looking at Sho and Ohno because they were the oldest ones and were supposed to have an answer for their three younger members.

After exchanging a few looks, Sho breathed in and began to speak.

“I suppose Nino and Jun will have to go to the boss and explain everything. After Julie finds out that this is only a bluff, she will start to take measures against this rumour spreading out even more. You two will probably get scolded for giving the photographer such an opportunity but that's it, I think.”

Ohno nodded. “I agree with Sho. I doubt that you're in trouble. You haven't done anything wrong after all. Also, you know that the management is able to stop anything that might endanger their bands. They have their ways and even if it would have been the truth, Julie will do anything to make people believe that it was just a stupid joke from the magazine,” their leader said.

He actually knew what he was talking about as he had been in trouble quite a few times. Since Ohno was sometimes lacking attention, he had been caught several times but the management had always been able to bail him out.

“Alright!” Aiba nodded. “Then let's stop worrying. We're having a performance coming up and I don't want any of you to make a mistake during MY song,” he told them off, jokingly.

In no second, the mood became lighter while the band members assured Aiba that they would give their best in the performance. They wanted to make Aiba shine as the new song was the theme song for his new drama.

For the remaining minutes they joked around if Aiba would really be able to act like an aristocrat and Aiba let them have their fun with him.

Again, Nino was amazed by how good natured Aiba was. They needed something to joke about and Aiba was willing to be the one the other could laugh about. He didn't mind being the one who was teased as long as his band members were in a good mood.

Nino couldn't help but kiss Aiba once again before they left the green room, simply to let him know that he was thankful for being able to restore the high spirit they needed for a performance.

\- * - * -

Nino looked at Jun, who was standing next to him. Although his expression was determined, his face was a bit pale. Being called to speak to their boss was always something frightening although both knew very well that they hadn't done anything wrong.

The other members had encouraged them to be honest and not make excuses when they had gotten the message to meet their boss after their performance (which had been fun and a great success, by the way). They had left the others quite confidently but now that they were standing in front of their boss' door, their confidence had somehow left them.

Nevertheless, they had to go through this and the sooner they started, the sooner they would be out again, was what Nino decided.

“Let's do it. We're going to be fine!” he said and Jun nodded before he raised his hand to knock.

After a short and sharp “Come in!” they looked at each other again before they opened the door.

“Ah, the two love birds,” Julie said when she saw who was entering.

Being thrown back from the unusual greeting, Jun and Nino were only able to mumble a “Hello”, throwing each other slightly confused glances.

“I have always suspected Arashi to have one or even two couples but to be honest, I hadn't expect that you two are one,” she went on and gestured Nino and Jun to sit down.

Starting to feel that their conversation was taking the wrong turn, Nino spoke up.

“We're not a couple...,” he said and Jun nodded in agreement. However, their boss just smiled at them.

“Its okay. You don't have to hide anymore. The pictures made it quite clear. The softness with which you were looking at each other made even my heart beat faster,” she told them and Nino could indeed see a slight blush appearing on her cheeks.

Nino though couldn't remember that he had looked as Jun softly. From the corner of his eye, he could see that his friend was as confused about their boss' words as he was. However, they quickly needed to do something about this misunderstanding.

“Mrs. Kitagawa,” Jun began, “Nino and I only met after work yesterday evening. We were simply chatting and then I spotted some glitter in his hair from his photo shoot and picked them out of his hair,” he explained the situation.

“That's indeed a nice way to explain your pictures but I already told you that you don't need to hide your relationship anymore. You two are actually quite a cute couple – unexpected, but cute,” Julie said and again smiled at the two idols sitting in front of her.

“When I saw the pictures this morning, I was honestly a bit worried,” she continued, not leaving the two a chance to speak. “However, lately, fans are waiting for a relationship announcement. They seem to have decided that you're old enough to marry and have a family. Of course there are always some that are against you having a partner but announcing two band members to be in love will make all sides satisfied. Therefore, I decided to announce your relationship to the public and finally you can stop hiding your feelings for each other.”

Obviously really content with herself Julie Kitagawa leaned back in her huge office chair and looked at Jun and Nino who were simply starring at her, not able to catch up with what was happening.

Feeling that Nino finally was starting to panic and was therefore not able to come up with anything logical to change their boss' mind, Jun started one last try to set things right.

“As we already told you, Mrs. Kitagawa, we are not in a relationship. We are only friends and the pictures are suggesting something that's not there. The photographer only made us LOOK LIKE we're in love,” he said, trying to sound as persuasive as possible.

“I always admired how Arashi is willing to sacrifice themselves for the sake of their band,” Julie sighed happily. “This is true friendship and that's what your fans like about your group so much. However, as I already assured you, your relationship won't cause any harm to Arashi. I gladly accept this development and we, the management, are standing behind you completely,” she went on and Jun could see a friendly but determined expression on her face.

Nino, on his side, was pale and looked like he was about to start crying but even Jun was at the end of his wits. He had no idea about how to convince his boss that he wasn't in a relationship with his band member.

“Now, my two love birds, I will prepare everything for the formal announcement tomorrow. You two can enjoy your free afternoon. Make the best out of it but wait until tomorrow before you show yourself as a couple in public,” Julie instructed them with a wink.

Then, she turned towards her computer screen. This was an obvious sign that the conversation had ended and Jun and Nino slowly rose from their seats. They mumbled their thanks, which Julie just waved away and finally left the office.

After closing the door behind them, Jun immediately turned towards Nino to apologise.

“I am so sorry, Neen, but I really don't know what to say anymore. I never thought that she is so delighted about the idea of the two of us dating each other...,” he began but Nino cut him off.

“It's not your fault, Jun,” Nino spoke, his voice thick with grief. “I wasn't able to come up with anything good either and she didn't even leave us a chance to explain.”

Jun, knowing that Nino was in more trouble than he himself, still wanted to apologise.

“But if I hadn't picked the glitter out of your hair, these pics would never have been taken in the first place. I know that this is a stupid habit of mine and I am working on myself to stop that. I never imagined that it would bring so much trouble though,” he went on, seeking forgiveness.

Suddenly, Nino's expression softened and he looked directly into Jun's eyes.

“Jun, it could have happened to any of us. Just leaning towards each other is enough to take such a picture. It was simply bad luck that it was you and me this time, so stop blaming yourself,” he said softly and finally, Jun relaxed a bit.

“What are you going to do now?” Jun asked, knowing the answer already.

“I'll go home and tell Aiba everything about it,” Nino answered, confirming Jun's guess.

“Do you want me to come with you?” the taller man offered but Nino only shook his head.

“I think Aiba and I need to talk alone about this first. Then we can talk things trough with Sho and Ohno.”

It sounded quite reasonable to Jun. They had an VSA filming the next day and he offered to text Ohno and Sho to ask them to be there a bit earlier to have a talk.

They parted ways soon after, Nino already thinking about how to tell Aiba about the conversation with their boss. He was sure that Aiba wouldn't get angry – he never did and it wasn't Nino's fault after all. However, Aiba was more sensible than he showed and Nino was truly worried if “sharing” Nino officially might break his heart.

\- * - * -

“The fans will surely be delighted upon hearing that there is a couple within Arashi,” Aiba only said after hearing what had happened.

As soon as Nino had come back, he had pulled Aiba next to himself onto the sofa and had started to tell him everything. He just couldn't bear to keep this from his boyfriend any longer and although he hadn't been able to think about a proper talk on his way back, the words simply flew out of him.

“I guess they are,” Nino agreed, but to be honest, it hadn't been the reaction he had expected.

“MatsuMiya is a cute couple. I once read a fanfiction that was truly cheesy, but warmed my heart,” Aiba went on blabbering. It was actually new to Nino that Aiba was reading fanfictions and although he should worry about other things right now, for a second, he wondered if Aiba had read some AiMiya fanfics as well.

“However, this will destroy quite some fangirls' fantasies. I know that JunToshi or OhMiya are quite popular, but SakuMiya and AiMoto have their fans as well. Now they'll have to switch to Yama or Ohba... or they could write SakurAiba,” Aiba began to plan.

“I don't want you to be paired up with Ohno or Sho,” Nino suddenly burst out, making Aiba turn to him with open mouth.

“Well, you're not available anymore,” Aiba gave back after a few seconds of silence.

Nino knew that his outburst had been childish and that he had absolutely no right to act jealous in any way but just the thought of Aiba being WRITTEN with someone else than him, made him feel all hot and angry inside.

Furthermore, he couldn't quite understand how Aiba could be that calm about the whole matter. Wasn't he jealous? Didn't he mind seeing Jun and himself being close?

“Don't you mind me having to fake a relationship with Jun?” he finally asked Aiba whose eyes turned soft.

“We cannot change it at the moment, right?” Aiba gave back and Nino shook his head. “So there is no use to get all hyped up about something that cannot be changed. The only thing we could do now is to think about how we can go on living with the new situation,” he went on and took Nino's hand. 

Again, Aiba, who was sometimes referred to as the band's biggest idiot, spoke very wisely and Nino knew that he was right. They had to find a way to cope with the new situation. Still, he would have loved to hear that it actually really annoyed Aiba having to share Nino with someone else.

\- * - * -

It took Ohno and Sho a few moments to take in what Jun and Nino were telling them. Then, they looked from Nino to Jun and then to Aiba who hadn't said a single word ever since Jun and Nino had started talking.

“Let me get this straight,” Sho began, rubbing his temples. “Our boss is convinced that you two are in a relationship,” he said and pointed at Nino and Jun, “and she thinks it's cute so she wants to make an official announcement...”

Nino and Jun nodded.

“And you didn't tell her that it's actually you and Aiba who are having a relationship,” Sho went on, throwing a quite annoyed look at Nino.

“We couldn't,” Nino defended himself. “She didn't even let us explain. She only said that it's cute that we want to protect Arashi but that there is no need for that since she approves of our relationship.”

Jun hummed affirmatively. It was obvious that Sho wasn't delighted about how things had turned out – well, not that any of them were – especially not Nino or Aiba. However, as Nino had already said, they simply hadn't gotten the chance to set things right.

“But then you simply should have been more froward to make sure something like this wouldn't have happened,” Sho threw his accusations at the two.

Instead of Nino, Jun took the word this time. “You know how persuasive and intimidating our boss can be,” he reminded Sho who just snorted. “Also, before I tell her about Aiba and Nino being in a relationship, I should have talked to the two, which I didn't for obvious reasons.”

“Maybe you SHOULD have talked about this with them, just in case things take the wrong turn AS THEY DID,” Sho gave back, raising his voice a bit and Jun was already opening his mouth in a reply.

However, before it could degenerate into a real fight, Ohno spoke up.

“Are you okay with that?” he asked, looking into Aiba's direction.

Shocked to be the object of interest suddenly, Aiba's head shot up. It only took a second before he found back to his smiling self though.

“It cannot be helped, right?!” he gave back. “There is no use to ponder over it for hours. We have to accept it and make the best out of it,” he explained and finally, Sho nodded. Aiba's words had convinced him that it was no use to blame Nino or Jun. Still, he wasn't at a point were he'd stop fighting.

“You could go to see her again today and try to explain once more,” he offered another possibility to restore the former group dynamics and while Nino and Jun shook their heads, Ohno was still watching Aiba, not convinced about his friend's words.

“That would be too late,” Nino told Sho who clicked his tongue. “The official announcement has gone out this morning...”

Sho slumped down in his chair as there really seemed to be no way to stop this fake relationship.

Suddenly, Jun's cellphone rang and he excused himself to take the call. Aiba, who was searching for his own phone, sighed a few seconds after.

“Kazu, I think I left my phone in the car. Can you give me the keys so I can get it?” he asked, but Nino had already stoop up.

“I'll come with you,” he said and helped Aiba to his feet.

After the door had closed behind them, Sho turned to Ohno.

“And what about you? Are you okay with that?” he asked, earning himself a raised eyebrow from Ohno.

“Why should I have a problem with it except that I worry about Nino's and Aiba's relationship,” he gave back. “OhMiya isn't such a strong pairing anymore, so I don't think there will be too many broken fangirl hearts,” he went on.

Sho shook his head. “I am not talking about OhMiya and you know that...,” he started but before he could go on, Jun came back and sat down next to Ohno, who was obviously happy about not having to answer.

Sho took a deep breath. He saw trouble coming upon Arashi and he seriously hoped that they were able to overcome them without much harm.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here comes Chapter 2. I hope you're already looking forward to how the Kaze trio will handle this new sitation. Maybe, it's not how you imagine they'd do it^^

“Oh~, I just heard the news! What a surprise!” a cheerful (and actually loud voice) floated into Arashi's greenroom just after Aiba and Nino came back.

All heads went up but they already knew who was about to enter.

“You hid it quite well, you two,” Toma said, pointing at Nino and Jun while sitting down naturally on the end of the table, opposite to Sho. “You have always been leaning towards the cute guys, Jun-pon,” he went on blabbering, not seeing the slight frown that wandered over the band member's faces.

“Though actually I thought, you're favouring Ohno,” Toma went on, grinning at the said man. “But that's how you can be deceived. You're actually quite cute together. I just cannot believe you didn't tell me...,” he then pouted.

“Don't be mad at us,” Jun asked his friend after he exchanged some looks with his band members. Sho had shaken his head, indicating Jun to better not tell Toma about the real situation. They had talked this through before when they were thinking about who to tell about Aiba's and Nino's relationship and they had decided that it would be safer the less people knew about it.

“We didn't mean to make you feel left out,” Nino jumped in, looking at his old friend with big eyes. Toma was weak to that gesture, he had always been, so his expression softened a second later.

“It's okay. I know it's hard to keep a relationship secret. I am just surprised that our boss accepted it and let you announce it officially...,” he voiced his thoughts.

“We were surprised as well,” Jun stated and Toma had no idea how true this statement actually was.

“Anyway, I am here to let you know that I'll be rooting for you,” he grinned before he stood up again. Johnny's had a tight schedule, so his friends actually treasured the fact that he came to congratulate them, even if it was for a lie.

Therefore, all band members thanked him sincerely and wished him good luck with his next job. Toma was auditioning for another role in a movie and although he was a bit worried, Arashi was sure that he'd get the job. Toma was a great actor afterall.

When their friend left the room, Sho let out a long sigh. “This is going to bring so much trouble upon us,” he moaned and threw his hands up in despair.

“We will overcome this,” Aiba assured him, patting his shoulder. While Sho just mumbled something incoherent, Nino watched his boyfriend. Aiba really didn't seem to mind their situation. He had smiled throughout the whole conversation with Toma, not showing any sign that he was annoyed or angry about the fact that their friend thought Nino and Jun would make a cute couple while Nino himself did mind the situation immensely. 

\- * - * -

Nino and Jun received tons of congratulations that day, mostly from the staff but also from their friends or colleagues. At the end of the day, Nino was nearly convinced that he and Jun really made a “perfect couple” because he had been told that exactly more than a hundred times.

Some people said that they had suspected a MatsuMiya relationship because of the way Jun used to look at Nino or how Nino would always defend Jun if needed. Others simply told them that they were suited for each other because of their personalities and they got told once that if it had been someone else than Jun, Nino would have a really unsatisfying and sad relationship because no one else than Jun was more fitting for him.

Every time someone told them, they were oh so cute together, Nino had wanted to scream at them that not Jun but Aiba was his boyfriend and that they were even cuter together and fit each other even more perfectly. He had to bite his tongue in order to stay silent and it became harder and harder to manage a smile after the umpteenth time someone patted his shoulder knowingly, pointing at Jun.

Aiba, on the other hand, had been his cheerful self, thanking people for the support. He had even pushed Jun and Nino together to show that they are really cute.

Nino was slightly annoyed by how well Aiba could cope with it and he began to wonder how he did that. Did it not bother him that everybody was talking about how well Nino and Jun fit each other although Nino belonged to him? Didn't he want people to think that he and Nino suited each other even more?

When they finally got into the car together, heading home, Nino thought it was time to talk about their situation.

“I am sorry you had to endure all of this today,” he said while he entered the highway.

Aiba just waved his hand. “No, I was prepared for it. Isn't it lovely how everybody came to congratulate you? All of them had something nice to say to you. It just shows that Arashi is supported by so many people...” he raved.

Nino realised that he had never looked at it from Aiba's perspective. He was right. Announcing a relationship inside the band was pretty risky, but they had been given so much support today that they really had nothing to worry about. He really should be relieved that today went to smooth instead of worrying too much. Again, Aiba had showed him how adults master such a situation. Nino still had to learn so much from him.

\- * - * -

Over the past week, Nino got kind of used to the little remarks about his and Jun's relationship. When people were wishing him all the best, his smile wasn't that forced anymore – somehow, it became strangely normal to Nino to be connected with Jun.

Their fans had also reacted mainly positively. Of course, other shippers had been a bit sad but the majority was supporting them. Lately, lots of fanarts and fanfictions with Jun and Nino had popped up. Most of them were very cute and Nino was happy that his fans were so creative and supportive.

Still, whenever he was looking at Aiba, Nino felt guilty. In the beginning, he had pittied himself a bit too much but he quickly found out that being in Aiba's shoes must be even harder. Nino could at least actively try to avoid too much comments or change the topic subtly, but Aiba had to endure everything without being able to say anything as he was not involved – at least not officially.

However, Aiba wasn't showing any hints of sadness or jealousy. He was smiling like always and whenever he was asked what he thought about the MatsuMiya relationship, he simply answered that he was happy for them. Nino sometimes thought that Aiba was able to cope with the situation better than he was.

Right now, they were waiting for their PV shooting to start. Nino was watching his boyfriend who looked incredibly hot in his suit. His new hairstyle changed Aiba from cute into sexy and Nino had to take care that he would not start drooling on his own suit.

“All right, boys, let's start!” the director announced, indicating the band members to come over to him.

“We already talked about the concept of the PV. Still, recently, there have been some changes in your band constellation,” the director said and threw a wink into the direction of Jun and Nino. “We don't want to overemphasize our new couple, but of course your fans are expecting some interaction. We will therefore change some of the shots we planned,” he explained and showed the band members the slightly changed script.

After skipping through it, Nino realized that he was with Jun in most of the scenes whereas Ohno, Aiba and Sho were together in the other cuts. Before, it had been him and Aiba together.

Nino felt the guilt bubbling up in his stomach, but he could understand the director's decision very well. It made sense to show the “couple” together.

He quickly glanced at Aiba whose expression hadn't changed at all. Somehow, Nino had hoped Aiba would throw in some arguments that they could stay together, but he had probably realised as well that it was more logical that way.

They started with scenes of the chorus where all of them were together. Again, Nino was positioned closer towards Jun. Again, he told himself that there was no use to argue against it. The director might event think he was doing the two a favour.

Afterwards they filmed their solo cuts. They were all pretty fast, so all that was left were the scenes with Jun and Nino or respectively with Aiba, Sho and Ohno.

Luckily, the director didn't really ask for too much interaction, so Jun and Nino were mostly standing close to each other while they were singing their parts. They were only touching when the director asked Nino to lean against Jun's back with his own back and when they were looking at the scene afterwards, Nino had to admit that it indeed looked quite romantic.

Then it was time for the other three to film their parts. In the meantime, Jun and Nino were ordered to let their shop photos taken – some solo pics as well as a few MatsuMiya shots. Before Aiba left to join Ohno and Sho on the set, he grabbed Nino's arm.

“Try to make it look romantic, you're a couple afterall,” he whispered.

Then, he quickly went over to his two waiting band members, leaving Nino behind who felt a rush of anger running through his body. Why did Aiba even say this? Didn't he mind that it was Jun who should look romantic with Nino instead of him?

Before he had time to go on wondering about Aiba's behaviour, the photographer asked them to follow him. He asked Jun to take Nino into his arms and they were forced to look into each other's eyes. They did this with all of their professionalism, but Nino could see the suppressed guilt in Jun's eyes. It was hard for him as well since Aiba was Jun's friend and he didn't want to hurt him either.

When they were asked to kiss, Nino shook his head slightly. He just couldn't do that, even if Aiba had told him to look romantic. It would be a betrayal in his eyes. Of course, Jun got his little hint and instead of aiming for Nino's mouth, he pressed his lips onto Nino's forehead instead. The kiss was soft and warm and full of Jun's apology that Nino accepted with a soft stroke over Jun's back.

Suddenly, there were some noises behind them and the moment after they felt the presence of someone else. They changed positions and saw Ohno standing next to them, making a face.

The three other members had obviously finished shooting their cuts and now Ohno was photobombing them. The photographer laughed and took a few more pictures before he ordered Aiba and Sho to join as well for their group pictures.

Nino and Jun loosened their embrace upon seeing Aiba coming closer and luckily, they weren't ordered to hug again.

During their shots, Sho leaned towards Ohno and whispered into his ear.

“That wasn't actually necessary,” he kind of scolded his band mate, but Ohno just growled at him.

“It was!”

\- * - * -

It was during one of their recordings for Arashi ni Shiyagare when Nino finally started to get worried about Aiba. Their guest was a director who was currently filming a romance drama and as so often, their were talking about on screen kisses. Of course, Arashi started to ask what was the best way to make the kiss look as romantic as possible, knowing that their fans would love to hear more about it and see Arashi try it.

The director happily answered to their questions and in the end, he wanted to show it to the audience that went wild. The guest picked Jun to be the main actor since Jun had had quite some on screen kisses already and was the most experienced among the members. They only were in need of a “girl”, now. 

Sho and Ohno already exchanged worried glances, but it was Aiba who solved this problem. He jumped up and Nino already thought he was offering himself for the task, but Aiba only grabbed Nino's arm and pulled him towards Jun.

“This will be a very authentic kiss,” Aiba snickered when he pushed Nino into Jun's arms and the audience cheered.

Nino, fighting hard to suppress his anger at his boyfriend, looked at Jun who was just as confused. It seemed that Aiba didn't mind them sharing a real kiss in front of the camera, but to Nino it was a huge problem.

It wasn't that kissing Jun was terrible or disgusting. Jun was his friend and he didn't mind having lots of body contact or exchanging body fluids (Nino had lost count about how many times they used the same chopsticks or drank from the same glass). However, until now it had only been Aiba who had been allowed to kiss Nino – well, and a few actresses, but that was due to his job.

He felt like cheating and what confused Nino even more was the fact that it had been Aiba who had brought him into this situation. It felt so wrong but there seemed to be no way out.

“See it as a job,” Sho suddenly whispered towards him and Nino nodded. Right, it was his job to entertain his fans and Aiba had only taken care that the show would go on smoothly, right?!

With this in mind, Nino just let Jun handle the kiss and tried to seal his emotions when his band mate's lips touched his.

\- * - * -

“I am so sorry,” Jun started to apologize as soon as he was alone with Nino. The other members had another quick job to do, so it was only them in the green room. “I didn't know how to make the guest stop and ...”

Nino interrupted him. “You didn't do anything wrong, Jun. You only did what was expected from you and it would have been rude to the guest if you hadn't followed his instructions properly,” he calmed Jun down who was seriously troubled by the forced kiss.

“Still, I feel like I am betraying Aiba...,” Jun went on but again Nino cut him off.

“Betray Aiba?! If I remember it correctly, HE was the one who pushed me into your arms!” he said, his voice angry.

Jun looked at Nino with knitted eyebrows. His friend's outburst was quite unusual so there must be something behind it. Slowly, he took Nino's hand before his warm gaze met Nino's eyes.

“What's wrong, Neen?” he asked softly.

“It's just that it seems as if Aiba doesn't mind sharing me with you,” Nino began, finally glad to be able to talk about what has worried him since some days. “I thought he would be a bit more jealous. After all, for me, it would be a big deal if he would be in a fake relationship, even if it's with one of you.”

Jun nodded. “I understand what you mean. I am also the type who gets jealous easily and I am amazed by how well Aiba copes with it. However, if it is troubling you so much, maybe you should just tell him, just like you told me right now,” Jun advised Nino and pressed his friend's hand to encourage him.

“You're right. I should simply talk to him,” Nino agreed. “Thanks!”

He leaned forwards to hug Jun when the door opened.

“Oh, am I interrupting something?” Ohno asked and stopped at the entrance.

“Stop being silly,” Jun scolded him.

“Jun just gave me a really good advise,” Nino explained.

“I thought you're continuing where you just stopped,” Ohno laughed and finally stepped into the room. He walked over to Jun and sat down next to him.

“Idiot!” Jun laughed and hit Ohno jokingly on his head, who just continued grinning from ear to ear.

“Actually, I wanted to take the actress' role just now but Aiba was faster. Can I get a kiss now?” Ohno asked and threw Jun a puppy eyed look.

Nino watched Jun throwing a hand kiss towards Ohno who caught it mid-air. He decided that he should better leave and put Jun's advise into action. Aiba should be finished with his job by now and Nino could go and fetch him. There was no need to stay at the TV Station any longer.

\- * - * -

Nino met Aiba on his way back to their green room. He convinced Aiba that he didn't need to say goodbye to the rest and so they went to their car. Now, Nino was driving while Aiba was humming along the music from their favourite CD.

“Ma-chan?” Nino asked after he had gathered all his courage. He really needed to have this talk, the sooner the better.

“What's up, sweetheart?” Aiba replied, knowing just from Nino's intonation that something was wrong.

Hearing Aiba calling him like that, Nino suddenly thought that he was an idiot for doubting Aiba and his feelings. Still, now that he had started, he would have to continue, because Aiba wouldn't stop asking.

“Didn't it bother you that I kissed Jun today?” Nino finally asked. They had stopped at a traffic light and he turned his head to look at his boyfriend.

Aiba looked at the street in front of him. His face didn't show any emotion.

“I would have loved to be in Jun's place but he did a great job. The kiss was indeed very beautiful. Jun is so talented when it comes to romantic kissing scenes,” Aiba replied.

The traffic light turned green and Nino went on manoeuvring their car through the streets of Tokyo.

“It's because Jun IS romantic that he's that good at it,” Nino explained and Aiba nodded. Suddenly, Nino realized that Aiba had subtly changed the direction of the conversation. However, Nino wasn't ready to stop with that topic now.

“If you wanted to be in Jun's place, why did you push me towards him then?” he went on inquiring and saw that Aiba let out a tiny sigh.

“Because HE is your official boyfriend and not me,” Aiba gave back, his voice calm and steady.

“Aren't you jealous?” Nino finally blurted out what he actually wanted to know.

Finally, Aiba turned towards Nino who had to concentrate on the street but still could watch his boyfriend from the corner of his eye.

“Kazu, there is no point in being jealous. I cannot change the situation we are in now and if I get jealous, it might cause problems for Arashi. I might get angry at Jun although he really isn't the one at fault. I fear that this might break us apart. So, NO, I am not jealous!”

After another deep sigh, Aiba leaned back in his seat. He rubbed his temples before he began to speak again.

“Look, things like today will continue to happen. Just think about that TV Show Jun and you are invited to. You will probably be asked to kiss again there and do all the things lovey-dovey couples do,” Aiba went on.

Nino knew that his boyfriend was right. It would not be the last time he had to kiss Jun although they had managed to avoid it until now. This TV Show Aiba was talking about would be the worst. The concept was that couples appear and had to do some tasks like cooking together or construct a wardrobe from IKEA to see how well they work together. Then, they would play some stupid couple games in order to find out how well they know each other. In the end, they would have to kiss and the audience will give them points on how romantic it was. The gained score at the end will tell how long the relationship will last. If it was a high score, they had a bright future, if not, they were supposed to break up soonish.

It was a stupid show and, in addition, Nino didn't like the host at all but their management had decided that the fans would love to see the new MatsuMiya couple in this show and therefore Jun and he had to appear. Filming would be next week and just thinking about it made Nino's mood drop endlessly.

“I simply cannot get jealous in order to protect Arashi,” Aiba's voice broke through Nino's thoughts, bringing him back to the actual topic of their conversation.

“I understand, Aiba-chan. Thanks for being that honest with me,” Nino replied to let his boyfriend know that he could follow his thoughts.

It wasn't a lie. Nino could understand Aiba's way of thinking. His boyfriend didn't want to bring Arashi in danger. However, a selfish part of Nino's heart wished, that Aiba would put him above Arashi and actually BE jealous.

\- * - * -

It was the day after that one TV Show had been aired, when things got out of hand. Jun and Nino had not been able to score a nigh number of points and therefore had been told that their relationship wouldn't last forever. Basically, Nino didn't care about the result since everything was a fake and he had just been glad that the filming was over. He had never expected that this show would be the trigger for a row of unexpected events.

Arashi was sitting in their greenroom, waiting for their own TV Show filming to start when suddenly their boss appeared in the door. 

“Hi, boys,” Julie greeted them, ignoring the fact that Arashi had reached an age where you probably shouldn't call them “boys” anymore.

Quickly, the band members jumped to their feet, greeting their boss and offering her a seat which Julie took gratefully.

They exchanged a few words about the weather and upcoming events before Julie came to the true reason of her visit.

“Actually, I am here because I need to talk to you,” she began and all five began wondering what they might have done wrong. “Especially with you two,” she added, looking into Jun's and Nino's direction.

Nino's heart started to beat faster. Maybe Julie was here to tell them that announcing their relationship openly had been a mistake and that she wanted them to “break up”. Excitedly, he therefore waited what she had to tell them.

“Lately, your fans are quite unsatisfied with you,” she began, shocking the band members with that statement.

“Why is that?” Sho asked, wanting to know the reason quickly, so they could act accordingly. They wanted their fans to be happy, after all.

“They were expecting more MatsuMiya romance,” Julie answered and all of Nino's hopes were crushed. “You know, it was a huge thing to announce a relationship inside the band and we were lucky enough that the majority of your fans accepted it and are still supporting you,” their boss went on and all five band members nodded.

“However, now, they want to see more of that romance. That one kiss in your AniShi episode is not enough. They want to see some touching and they want to know some details from your daily life and although I do respect your privacy, I think you should reward your fan's loyalty,” she said, her voice friendly, but urging.

With that, Julie excused herself again, leaving behind the five men with some quite depressed faces. When she was gone, Sho was the first to speak again.

“So, what are you going to do?”

Nino and Jun look at each other, their faces hopeless, and shrugged.

“You have to show more skinship,” Aiba said determined. “Our boss is right. The fans are really patient with us and they should get something in return.”

“Hmmm...,” Jun hummed and looked at Aiba insecurely.

“Seriously,” the tall man scolded them. “It's not that hard, isn't it?”

He pushed Nino closer to Jun who was sitting next to him. Then, he took Jun's arm and put it around Nino's small back, resting Jun's hand on Nino's shoulder.

“Perfect!” he acknowledged after he stepped back and looked at his arrangement. “Now do that during the filming and everything will be alright,” he smiled, sitting back down opposite of the two.

Watching Aiba grinning satisfied, Nino's newly build trust into his partner's feelings began to crumble again. He had understood Aiba's reasons for accepting Jun's and Nino's closeness when they had talked a week ago very well. It was reasonable and logical and although he wasn't too happy about it, Nino had stopped to question Aiba's feelings.

However, now that he seemed to be fire and flame to teach Jun and him how to have more bodycontact, Nino simply couldn't imagine that Aiba was only doing it for Arashi's sake. Maybe he had stopped loving Nino and this fake relationship with Jun was an easy way out for him?

However, this again didn't sound like Aiba at all who was a fundamentally honest person and he would have told Nino if his feelings towards him had changed.

Confused, Nino looked at Aiba who just threw him a failed wink before he stood up. A staff member informed them that the filming would start and they were asked to come to the set.

While making their way towards the studio, Ohno and Sho had fallen a bit aback.

“This would have been the right moment to tell Julie that it's actually Nino and Aiba who are in a relationship,” Ohno whispered to Sho.

“I agree with you,” Sho whispered back. “However, it is not our right to tell anybody about it.”

“I know,” his friend said. “But I fear they will hurt themselves if they don't stop this soon.” Ohno's face was painted with worry, so Sho put his arm around his Leader's shoulder.

“We cannot always tell them what to do. They have to mature and find a way by themselves,” he gave back.

“But...,” Ohno wanted to cut in, but Sho stopped him.

“If they ask for our help, we won't leave them alone,” he tried to calm Ohno. “Don't worry. They will act before it's too late. Put some trust in them.”

Ohno sighed and began to rub his temples.

“It will work out, believe me – also for you,” Sho grinned then and gave Ohno a pat on his back before he quickened his pace to join the other three, trying to lighten up the mood at least a bit before filming would start.

Ohno just watched the group in front of him. He was still worried but he tried to believe in Sho's words. He really wanted things to work out for all of them.

\- * - * -

“I have an idea,” Aiba announced two days after Julie had visited Arashi in their greenroom. Right now, only Nino and Jun were there, as Sho and Ohno were having their No-No photoshot.

Nino, who had been using Aiba's lap as a pillow, looked up to his boyfriend while Jun stopped scrolling on his phone.

“I know how you two will be able to loose your restraint to touch each other,” Aiba explained.

Nino groaned. After the filming Aiba hadn't shown any further intention to give Nino and Jun hints how to act closer, so Nino had assumed that Aiba had forgotten about it or simply didn't want it. However, he should have known his boyfriend better. He had only needed the time to come up with a new plan.

Jun, who also didn't look overly happy about Aiba's announcement, carefully asked for more details.

“What did you come up with?”

“You two seem to be a bit reluctant to touch each other, but I think you don't necessarily think of each other as disgusting,” Aiba began and Nino and Jun nodded. “You just need to take a step further than harmless touching and kissing, because then it will be easier for you to take a step back afterwards.”

Nino, already fearing that Aiba's idea was absolutely not to his liking, asked anyway.

“What do you mean with “taking a step further”?”

Beaming, Aiba finally announced his great plan.

“You just have to sleep together.”

It took Nino and Jun about a minute to process what Aiba had just suggested. But then, they started shouting at their band mate.

“Never,” Nino rejected Aiba's idea immediately and sat up.

“I cannot do that,” Jun added, shaking his head furiously.

“What are you thinking? I don't want to sleep with anybody else than you,” Nino nearly screamed, panic and fear rising up in him. Did Aiba really want him to have sex with Jun?

“I would never betray you,” Jun chimed in, pointing his shaking finger at Aiba.

“Guys, calm down,” Aiba tried to soothe them. “It wouldn't be a betrayal since I am the one suggesting it to you and I think that it could really help you. Kissing and touching will be a piece of cake for you afterwards.”

Nino took a deep breath, trying to steady his voice before he started to talk logic into his boyfriend.

“You do know that I don't want to kiss or touch someone else and Jun always feels terrible whenever he has to kiss me because he feels guilty since YOU are my boyfriend!”

Jun nodded, supporting Nino to the fullest.

“That's exactly your problem. You have to stop with these feelings of guilt or you will never be able to act like a real couple,” Aiba told them, sounding like an adult explaining something to a child.

“And Kazu, I really appreciate that you don't want anyone else to touch you, but you have to get used to Jun,” Aiba said and stroke his boyfriend's cheek.

“I don't want to get used to Jun's touch, no offensive though,” Nino replied and crossed his arms.

“And I don't want Nino to get used to my touch either,” Jun threw in. “Seriously, Aiba, you cannot actually mean what you just said.”

“But I do!” Aiba replied. “I really thought about how to help you and this is the only thing I cam up with,” he said, looking sternly at his two band mates.

“If you are the one suggesting it, you should be there as well,” Nino replied stubbornly.

When Aiba didn't reply, but only looked at Nino, the latter thought that he won over his partner. He grinned at Jun who gave him a secret thumbs up and was just about to lie down again when Aiba suddenly nodded.

“All right,” he said.

Shocked, Nino stopped his movement to look back at Aiba. 

“It's actually a great idea, Kazu. I will be able to encourage you better if I am there as well,” Aiba said contently.

“But...,” Jun, whose face had finally become super pale, started.

“As far as I know we're all free on Friday, so we can meet on Thursday evening after we finished all our jobs. I think it's easier if Jun comes to our flat,” Aiba started to plan, not leaving the other two any chance to discuss the matter further.

Jun threw Nino a pleading look, but the smaller man just shook his head. It was no use in trying to make Aiba change his mind. At least not now. He would have to think of something really persuasive and then try to speak to Aiba again.

Sighing, Jun slumped back in his seat and Nino could easily tell that he was more than unhappy. Of course, Nino could understand this. He wasn't even the slightest bit delighted either. Again, he didn't mind having a bit of body contact with Jun and if they wouldn't be in that forced relationship it would probably happen more naturally. However, before it had been a friendship thing between them and in Arashi having a certain amount of body contact between friends was completely normal and no reason to get jealous.

However, things had changed after those stupid photos and now it WAS a problem for Nino to touch Jun or cuddle with him. Therefore, sleeping with Jun was even more out of question. To Nino, having sex was something you only do with the partner you love. It was the deepest form of showing your love. That's why Nino thought you shouldn't sleep with someone you're not in love with.

Nino had always thought that Aiba was sharing his point of view on that. However, his suggestion just now had thrown his boyfriend into a different light and Nino really didn't know what to think of it. Aiba was a mystery to him lately and his behaviour made Nino slowly, but surely angry and hurt. Wasn't it enough that he had told Aiba that he didn't want to sleep with someone else than him? What else did he want to hear?

Nino looked at his boyfriend who was back to memorizing his script. He seemed calm and composed and not like someone who just told his boyfriend to sleep with someone else. Maybe, he really didn't mind sharing Nino. Maybe, he was not as much in love with Nino anymore as Nino was with him...

\- * - * -

For the next days, Jun and Nino tried their utmost to convince Aiba that his plan was nonsense and would make things even more awkward instead of better. However, Aiba stubbornly insisted that this was the only way to make Nino and Jun get closer and with this appear like a real couple.

Therefore, Nino and Aiba were now sitting together in their living room, waiting for Jun. Nino and Jun had even considered the option of Jun simply staying at home instead of coming to them but in the end, Aiba would have just set a new date or, even worse, went to Jun to fetch him by himself.

Both hoped that the closer they got to the actual action, Aiba would start to realise that it had been bad idea to begin with and stop the whole thing. Jun was sure that Aiba wasn't alright with the fact of sharing Nino in bed, although Nino had voiced his doubts about it.

He had asked Aiba for the last days several times if he wasn't jealous or if he was really okay with watching Jun kiss and, well, fuck Nino but he had always received the same answer – that it was necessary to deepen Nino's and Jun's bond and that it was important for Arashi that the MatsuMiya relationship was well received by the fans.

At some point, Nino had stopped asking. He was confused, angry and depressed about Aiba's behaviour. He didn't know what to do anymore and he simply hoped that Jun was right when he said that Aiba was still in love with him but had sealed his own emotions away, in order to help Arashi. Jun also told Nino that things would get better soon, but Nino wasn't so sure about that.

“Jun-chan should be here soon,” Aiba said with a glance at his watch and Nino nodded. Now that he had accepted his fate more or less, he simply wanted to get over with it as quick as possible.

Indeed, a few minutes later, the doorbell rang and Aiba went to open the door. Taking a deep breath, Nino got up from the sofa as well.

When Jun entered the living room, followed by Aiba who was carrying a bottle of wine Jun had brought with him, Nino had to smile. Jun had styled his hair nicely and was wearing really stylish clothes. Nino could smell that Jun had showered (because only Jun used that super expensive shower gel with that specific nice fragrance). All in all, Nino thought that it was cute that Jun had put so much effort into his appearance today.

“Shall we eat something first or shall we get started right away?” Aiba asked, his voice cheerful as if he was talking about a movie night with some friends.

“Let's drink some of the wine first,” Nino suggested and went to fetch some glasses. Although he wanted to get over with it, he was still a bit reluctant to start that fast. Also, Nino hoped that the alcohol would minimize his reluctance at least a bit so it would be easier for him.

When he came back, Aiba and Jun were sitting on the sofa, Jun shifting back and forth whereas Aiba was talking about this and that.

Nino poured in the red alcohol and handed each of them a glass.

“To a nice evening,” Aiba said and raised his glass. Nino and Jun just clinked their glasses but both of their faces showed that they weren't convinced that it would really become such a nice evening.

When the two younger men gulped their wine down, Aiba began to chuckle.

“Easy, boys,” he laughed but filled their glasses again.

While Aiba was only nipping on his glass, Jun and Nino had finished theirs quickly again and shared the rest. Far too fast, the bottle was empty and although Nino felt a little bit tipsy, he still wasn't relaxed.

Also, Jun still looked pale and began to fumble with the end of his shirt. Aiba immediately realised Jun's tension and put his own glass of wine, that was still filled to the half, down.

“I'd say, we get you out of this before you tear it apart,” he said, making Jun stop his hands, causing the younger one to smile embarrassed. Still, he had not much time to think about a reply since Aiba leaned over and captured Jun's lips in a kiss.

With an open mouth, Nino stared at the scene in front of him. While Aiba was nibbling on Jun's lips, who still wasn't returning the kiss, too shocked about the sudden change of events, his hand was wandering towards the first button on Jun's shirt. Slowly, he opened it without breaking the contact with Jun, before he went further downwards.

Nino could feel the heat building up in his stomach. It wasn't anger or lust, it was pure jealousy. However, before he could act on it, Aiba turned towards him.

“Help me, Kazu,” he softly invited Nino to join.

Seeing it as the only option to get Aiba's lips away from Jun's (because Nino would claim them), Nino rushed over to the couple. Aiba, who had stopped kissing Jun's lips, was now sucking on the white skin at his neck. He reached out for Nino and stroked over his arm lovingly before he guided Nino's hand to the still closed buttons.

Nino got the hint immediately, but was still a bit reluctant, so Aiba stopped teasing Jun and placed a soft kiss on Nino's forehead.

After taking a deep breath, Nino began to open all of the buttons, revealing Jun's smooth chest and flat belly. Carefully, Nino laid one of his hands on Jun's chest, feeling the strong, but fast heartbeat of his friend.

Nino looked up and Jun's eyes locked with his. They were doubting and a bit scared, but nonetheless warm.

Suddenly, Aiba placed his hand on Nino's and began to move them over Jun's chest, together. Jun's gaze focused on them and Nino felt his friend's tense muscles relaxing slowly. He looked up to Aiba who smiled at him and leaned forward to kiss Nino.

The kiss was gentle, but made clear that Aiba started to get heated up. Their tongue danced and Nino nearly forgot about Jun's presence. He wanted to reach out for Aiba, to get him out of his shirt, but his hand was still trapped between Jun's chest and Aiba's hand while the other one was supporting his body so that he would not fall face forward into Jun's lap (Nino wasn't ready for that yet).

Finally, Aiba broke the kiss and set Nino's hand free. However, before Nino could reach out for his boyfriend, Aiba bend down and attached his lips onto one of Jun's nipple.

Jun sucked in the air between his teeth. He hadn't expected this either but as he now watched Aiba's tongue dancing over his bud,that slowly, but surely, got hard due to the teasing touch, he became excited.

Aiba indicated Nino with his eyes that he should get started on the other nipple as well and this time, Nino followed the instructions immediately. He attached his lips onto the sensitive skin and as his boyfriend, he began to tease Jun's nipple.

Jun's breathing became heavier and he let out a soft sigh. Immediately, he put his hand in front of his mouth, making Aiba chuckle.

“That was cute, Jun, let us hear it again,” he smiled and softly bit into the hard, pink bud.

Another strangled sound came from Jun and a tiny part of Nino came to like seeing Jun trying so desperate not to make any sound.

Therefore, he sucked harder on Jun's nipple while his hand wandered up and down his friend's upper body. Jun shivered underneath his touch while his body was radiating a promising heat.

Meanwhile, Aiba had started to get Jun out of his shirt completely. He had already managed to get Jun's arms out of it and was now using only his fingers to tease the nipple while he was kissing his way down to the waistband of Jun's jeans.

Nino saw Aiba's tongue pushing under it, causing Jun's abdominal muscles to contract while he sucked in the air through his mouth. In order to gain more access, Aiba popped the button open and dipped his tongue even deeper inside.

Jun started to wriggle and Nino knew that he was trying hard not to rock his hips upwards to make Aiba's tongue meet his member. He honoured Jun's efforts to hold himself back but decided to rescue him. Also, he didn't really want Aiba to go further, so he let his fingertips wander southwards and let them take Aiba's place.

Aiba looked up to Nino but opened the zipper so that he could push his fingers deeper inside. Nino could feel that Jun's member was slowly awakening, so he let his fingers slip into Jun's jeans and began to softly stroke the hardening body part.

Slowly but surely, Jun's underwear got a bit damp where his tip was and Jun was leaving muffled sighs as his hand was still pressed over his mouth.

Seeing this, Aiba reached out for Jun's hand and took it away. When Jun wanted to put it back, Aiba guided his friend's hand towards his own bare chest. While Nino had been focussing on Jun's member, he hadn't realised that Aiba had gotten out of his shirt as well.

He watched as Jun's hand moved hesitantly over Aiba's upper body. Aiba's skin was a bit darker than Jun's and his nipples weren't as pink. Also, Aiba's shoulders weren't as broad as Jun's as he was more the slender type. Still, Nino preferred Aiba's body over anybody else's.

Jun had gotten a bit braver and was reaching out for Aiba's nipples now, rolling them softly between his fingers. Nino knew that Aiba liked that and indeed, a soft moan escaped his boyfriend's mouth. Encouraged by that, Jun leaned forward to lick over the hard buds.

Nino's jealousy re-appeared after he saw Aiba closing his eyes and sighing contently. It was HIS job to elicit such sounds from Aiba, so Nino decided that Jun had to stop with that, immediately.

Therefore, he added more pressure to Jun's member. Jun stopped for a moment to suck in some air and Nino used this to attach his mouth onto Aiba's lips. He kissed Aiba with all of his might, wanting to convey his strong feelings towards him. Being in the way now, Jun let go of Aiba and leaned back.

Nino pulled his hand out of Jun's jeans and let it rest on Aiba's shoulder while his other arm sneaked around Aiba's waist to pull him closer. Aiba gave in to the embrace for a few seconds before his body shuddered and he broke the kiss.

“Your still fully clothed, Kazu,” he suddenly said and with a smile on his face, he began to push Nino's shirt up. Nino, disappointed about Aiba's soft rejection, raised his arms to let Aiba strip him. It seemed hopeless to expect Aiba to stop this whole thing before it started to get serious.

Aiba kissed his naked collarbones and suddenly, Nino felt a touch on his hips. Aiba had guided Jun's hands towards his waistband. Shaking, Jun's fingertips ran around his waist. The touch was so soft that Nino got goosebumps.

“Before we go on, shall we move to the bedroom?” Aiba suggested but Nino quickly shook his head. It was already hard enough for him to do this with Jun but he seriously didn't want him in their bedroom.

“The sofa is nice as well,” Jun answered before Nino could, obviously knowing what was going on in his friend's mind.

“Then I have to get the lube and condoms from there,” Aiba pouted and stood up to get said equipment.

Nino looked at Jun who had just fallen back onto the sofa and was running his fingers through his hair in desperation.

“Let's get over this quickly,” Nino suggested and opened the button and zipper of his trousers. He stepped out of them and threw them onto the floor, followed by his underwear.

Jun took a deep breath, but nodded and followed Nino's example. His erection had disappeared and Nino suddenly saw another problem coming upon them. What, if he wasn't able to get it up?

Before he could panic, Aiba returned and upon seeing the trousers on the floor, he grinned at the two happily. When he was just about to say something, Nino leaped forward to kiss him. He couldn't cope with a sneaky remark from Aiba right now.

Suddenly, he heard the unmistakable sound of a zipper being opened and looked down. Jun was pushing Aiba's trousers down. He seemed to want to get over this REALLY quickly, but this time, Nino wasn't opposed. He reached for Aiba's underwear and shoved it down as well. Jun took care to get Aiba's feet out of it without him loosing balance.

Then, Nino pushed Aiba onto the sofa and resumed kissing him while he let his hand wander towards Aiba's member. He let his fingertips run over it softly before he reached out for Jun. It took a few seconds before he felt Jun's cold hand in his own. He pressed it firmly before he guided it towards Aiba's member.

Jun's fingers curled around the slowly awakening body part and Nino put his hand over Jun's. In a slow pace they started to jerk Aiba off, whose breath became faster. He began moaning into Nino's mouth when they sped up.

Nino, who had suddenly worked out a plan, needed eye contact with Jun, so he broke the kiss. He reached for his own member and grabbed it tight before he started thrusting into his hand. He looked up to Jun and then down at his hand and to his relief, Jun understood him.

His friend mirrored him while their other hand was still pleasuring Aiba. Then, Nino indicated Jun with a look to follow his example once again and leaned forward to suck on Aiba's nipple. Jun did the same on the other side causing Aiba to moan shamelessly into their ears.

Nino was proud of Jun that the had gotten the hint. Nino's plan was to keep Aiba busy, preferably making him come so that he wouldn't find out that Jun and himself were jerking off. When they'd come, it would be over, right?

However, Nino had underestimated his boyfriend. Although Aiba's member was as hard as steel by now and his tip was already leaking, he was still aware of what was going on around him. When he saw Nino and Jun jerking themselves off, he immediately reached out to stop the two.

“You're not acting according to the plan,” he scolded them and wriggled himself out from under them. Then, he sighed.

“Seems like I have to take this into my hands,” he sighed again and grabbed Nino by his shoulders to push him gently on the sofa. Nino threw and apologizing look over to Jun, who pressed his lips together but shrugged.

“I want you to enjoy this, Kazu,” Aiba said before he dived down to Nino's lap.

Finally, Nino could forget his surroundings and the situation they were in. Aiba knew very well how to please him and his boyfriend's tongue danced around his sensitive area in a sweet torture, pleasuring Nino, putting him into an ecstatic state.

Aiba had worked up Nino's member that was lying hard in his hands now and had sucked on the balls softly, letting his teeth scraping over the sensitive skin once in a while. He was working Nino open with the tip of his tongue and Nino was moaning his boyfriend's name. He had his hands in Aiba's hair, as was trying not to loose his mind.

Nino was very well aware that Aiba had only needed a few minutes to get him into this state. His boyfriend was a natural talent when it came to bringing him to the edge of loosing his mind and he had learned quickly what Nino liked and what not. Still, he was never taking advantage of it. Until now.

Since Nino was more than relaxed under Aiba's skilful hands, he loosened up quite quickly and soon, Aiba was able to let two of his fingers slip in and out of him.

“You should prepare yourself,” Aiba suddenly said in a hoarse voice and tossed a condom and lube over to Jun who had been standing aside, not knowing what to do.

With another look at Nino, who remembered that Aiba would not be the one taking him tonight, Jun opened the thin foil. His fingers were trembling slightly when he slipped the rubber over his member, that had actually become hard. Watching Aiba satisfying Nino had been quite a turn-on.

When Aiba was sure that Nino was really loose, he pulled his fingers out. He gave Nino, who was unable to move upon the upcoming prospect of Jun entering him soon, a very tender kiss before he left his side.

“He's all yours,” Aiba declared and pushed Jun in front of Nino while he moved out of Nino's sight.

Jun closed his eyes, breathed in deeply and then opened them again. He came closer and took Nino's hand. Their fingers interlaced and Jun pressed Nino's hand softly. A few seconds later, he felt Nino returning the gesture.

With a relieved sigh, Jun began to caress Nino's upper body with his free hand. He softly drew a few undefinable patterns on his skin before he reached Nino's member. Carefully, he took it into his hand and rubbed over it, adding a twist once in a while.

His movements were so incredible soft and careful that they warmed Nino's heart. He wasn't overly happy to sleep with Jun but he knew that his friend would never hurt him. He was so gentle that Nino could feel how much Jun cared for him on the base of their friendship. He knew that Jun felt guilty for doing this to him but he let Nino feel as if he was the only one for him right now.

Nino appreciated Jun's gentleness and nodded at him to give him the final permission. Jun's fingers trailed down to Nino's hole that was still lubed from Aiba's actions before. Therefore, Jun could slip in easily and he made sure by himself that Nino was ready to take him.

When he was satisfied, Jun took his fingers out and positioned himself. He slowly closed the distance and Nino could feel his tip at his entrance. He closed his eyes, trying hard to relax and imagine it being Aiba, although it felt completely different.

“Stop that!”

Nino's eyes snapped open. His gaze fell on Aiba, who was suddenly back in his field of vision. However, his boyfriend was wearing an expression he had never seen on him before. His eyes were narrowed to a slit and his usually plump lips were pressed together to a thin line.

“Don't you dare touching him!” Aiba growled, his voice deep and actually quite scaring.

Jun was too shocked to react. This turn of events was unexpected.

“He's mine!” Aiba snorted and pushed Jun away from Nino. He positioned himself in front of Nino so that Jun had no chance to get close him again. With a last dangerous look at Jun, Aiba turned around to the confused Nino to take him into his arms.

“You're mine!” Aiba repeated and finally, Nino threw his arms around his boyfriend as well. He still wasn't really sure what was going on but he knew that Aiba did not want Jun to sleep with him.

“I am yours!” Nino shouted and tears started to roll down his cheeks. Aiba only pressed Nino tighter onto himself.

“Great, now that we resolved this, we can stop this nonsense,” they suddenly heard Jun saying.

They turned around to see their friend standing naked in the middle of their living-room, his member still somewhat standing in the air while his arms were crossed in front of his chest.

Before Nino and Aiba could stop themselves they started to giggle uncontrollably. Jun's expression changed from irritated to shocked but then he started to grin as well. The whole situation was so weird that none of thm saw any other option than to laugh until their tears were rolling down their cheeks.

“I told you that he does NOT want to share you,” Jun said after they had finally calmed down a bit.

“But he really acted as if he didn't care,” Nino tried to defend himself.

“You really made Nino doubt your feelings for him,” Jun let Aiba know, who seemed really shocked upon hearing this.

“I am so sorry, Kazu,” he apologised. “I love you. I love you more than anything. I don't want to share you and I AM jealous,” Aiba finally voiced his feelings honestly, a single tear rolling down his cheek, as he finally realised how much his behaviour had hurt Nino.

“It's okay,” Nino tried to calm him down. After hearing those words, Nino immediately forgot about all the sleepless nights he had for the past weeks. His mind was relieved and his heart was beating joyfully in his chest.

“And to make you understand this I had to go through all of this,” Jun whined. He was still naked but had sat down onto the sofa next to Aiba and Nino, who were still hugging each other. He had taken off the condom by now as he was convinced that it wasn't necessary anymore.

“Thank you, Jun-pon, really,” Nino voiced his deep gratitude.

“Thank you!” Aiba joined his boyfriend. Then, his eyes began to sparkle. “Don't you think Jun has earned himself a reward? Since he helped us so much?” he asked and Nino smirked.

“You're totally right, my love,” he replied. They entangled themselves before slowly moving towards Jun.

Nino got Aiba's hint immediately and although a few minutes before everything inside himself had been against touching Jun's private parts, he was now willing to do it – because he knew that Aiba still loved him and because they were owing Jun a huge favour.

“Wait! What are you two up to?” Jun asked, his voice showing that he still needed some persuasion.

Nino and Aiba didn't hesitate any longer. They sat down on the floor in front of Jun and began to kiss Jun's knees. They moved upwards and nibbled on the soft inside of Jun's thighs.

“I am not sure if...,” Jun tried again, but Aiba and Nino reached for his hands and pressed them tightly. It was enough to assure Jun that both of them were alright with this and so he simply let them have their will with him.

Aiba and Nino had reached Jun's balls by now and each took one in his mouth and began to suck. Since Jun had no free hand to cover his mouth, his moan resounded loudly in the room and Aiba grinned at Nino (the best he could with his mouth full).

They let Jun free after a few strong sucks and stuck out their tongues to lick up his member, meeting at the quite wet tip. They teased Jun with a few flicks of their tongues, coaxing a few more moans from their friend.

Jun was only a groaning mess when Nino and Aiba began to suck on his tip like a lollipop, taking turns once in a while.

Seeing that their friend was close to his limit, they looked at each other and while Nino continued sucking on the over-sensitive tip, Aiba wrapped his long fingers around Jun's member and began to jerk him off.

With a long moan, Jun finally released himself, his cum flowing over Aiba's hands. Nino kissed the tip one last time making Jun shudder before he turned to Aiba, crushing his mouth onto his boyfriend's to share a long, deep kiss with him.

“You should claim me as yours again,” Nino said after they separated. Aiba was immediately to his feet. He quickly cleaned his hand with the tissues he had brought before and reached out for Nino who took his hand.

Jun was still bathing in his afterglow but Aiba told him to use their shower afterwards before he scooped Nino up and carried him to their bedroom.

He let him slip on the mattress softly before he crawled on top of him. Immediately, Nino wrapped his arms around Aiba's shoulders and pulled him downwards to be able to reach his lips. 

While they kissed, Nino felt some insecurity coming from his boyfriend. He softly broke the kiss but before he could ask, Aiba already started.

“I am really sorry, Kazu. I didn't want you to feel bad. I just thought that it's of more benefit for you if I hide my jealousy. I didn't want you to feel guilty when you had to hug or kiss Jun,” he tried to explain himself once more.

“I was really worried that you might have stopped loving me and want me to start a real relationship with Jun, but you now everything is fine,” Nino told his boyfriend while he let his fingers run lovingly through Aiba's hair.

“But I made you sleep with Jun although I knew you didn't want to. How will you ever be able to forgive me?”Aiba asked, sounding indeed quite desperate.

Nino was glad that his boyfriend finally understood what he had done wrong, but he didn't want Aiba to feel bad about it anymore. Further, he finally wanted to find his release,too, so he grinned at Aiba.

“I will forgive you if you make take me now and mark me as yours,” he said and Aiba blinked. He couldn't believe that he would be left of the hook so easily, but when Nino pushed his hips upwards, he didn't need another invitation.

He quickly kissed his way down to Nino's member, trailed a few kisses over it but gave his whole attention to the puckering red hole then. It took only a few licks and some fingering until Nino was loose again and this time, it was Aiba who positioned himself between Nino's legs.

Terribly slowly, Aiba pushed inside of Nino who had to hold back his tears upon the sweet torture. Having Aiba entering him, finally knowing that he was still loving him as much as before, turned Nino into an emotional mess.

Of course, Aiba realised the change in his boyfriend's mood immediately and so he leaned forward to kiss Nino's trembling lips while he let him get used to the stretch.

“I love you!” Aiba whispered again before he started to move his hips. He set quite a quick rhythm and Nino held tightly onto him while he cried and moaned at the same time.

It didn't took them long to reach their height and while Nino shot his seed between their bodies, Aiba released deep into his boyfriend. Then, he collapsed on top of Nino, who let it happen without complaints.

After he had caught his breath again, Aiba rolled down from Nino, grabbed some of the tissues from their nightstand to clean his boyfriend and reached for the blanket then. He took Nino into his arms and covered them with it.

“I love you,” Aiba whispered again because he wanted to make sure Nino would never doubt that again.

“Tell me again,” Nino demanded and kissed Aiba's cheek.

“I love you!” Aiba fulfilled his boyfriend's wish. “I love you! I love you!” he went on and Nino grinned. He tried to catch Aiba's lips but Aiba turned his head away and kept on chanting “I love yous”.

Finally, Nino managed to get a hold of him and kissed Aiba deeply. It was a long, slow and caring kiss and none of the two noticed Jun's presence in the door.

Therefore, their friend knocked, making Nino and Aiba break their kiss and face him.

Jun had indeed taken a shower. His still damp hair gave that away. He was also wearing his clothes again. His expression however, was serious.

“I don't want to disturb you and I really don't want to wipe your smile away but I think we need to talk,” he said and Aiba as well as Nino nodded.

“Come in,” Nino invited Jun. It was a completely different situation now and that's why Nino didn't mind his friend inside their bedroom.

They made Jun bring them fresh underwear and shirts from their closet on his way to their bed and quickly slipped into them.

Jun, being the gentle soul he was, had also brought some water with him and they all shared the bottle. Nobody really wanted to start the conversation they knew they had to have until Jun finally sighed.

“So what are we going to do now?” he asked and looked at Aiba and Nino.

“We cannot go on like this,” Nino said and Jun nodded. However, Aiba was looking at them worried.

“But we have to!” he shouted, gesturing with his hands. “We have to think about Arashi and going on the way we did before, is the best,” he explained.

“Is it really the best?” Jun asked and now Aiba looked so confused, that Nino couldn't help but laugh at his expression. However, he quickly became serious again.

“Look, this whole thing was putting your relationship in danger and I think Arashi would be far more in danger if you two broke up,” Jun began to reason.

“I would never break up with Nino,” Aiba stated determined and Nino's heartbeat increased.

Jun put is hand on Aiba's shoulder to calm him down. “I never said that you would, but you cannot deny that the last weeks have been a struggle for both of you, where the basic problem was that you weren't honest with your feelings. You ARE jealous, right?”

Aiba nodded.

“There is no need to hide that. It's only natural and shows that you treasure Nino a lot. I won't get mad at your or anything,” Jun went on and Aiba as well as Nino were just amazed by how well Jun understood them. “However, things cannot stay the way they are or you two will get into trouble again.”

Aiba pressed his lips together. He knew that Jun was right. Seeing Nino in the arms of someone else made his blood boil – in a bad way. He had managed to endure it, telling himself that it would be the best for Arashi but Jun's way of looking at the matter was right. This fake MatsuMiya couple thing was affecting Aiba and Nino's relationship in a bad way, no matter how hard the two tried. Furthermore, Nino felt really uncomfortable with it as he had told Aiba many times. They really needed to do something.

“How can we change this situation?” Aiba asked, showing the two that he had understood their feelings.

“That's what I asked you two before,” Jun gave back and shrugged.

Naturally, Aiba and Jun turned to the one who hadn't said much until now.

“Don't look at me. I wasn't even able to come into terms with my own feelings, so I won't be able to come up with a solution for something that involves three people,” Nino quickly made clear that he was not the right person to ask.

“Then it seems that we have no other option...,” Jun mumbled and Aiba and Nino nodded.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter of this story. Enjoy~

“So you have finally remembered that we exist as well,” Sho said, his voice full of irony. He was looking over his newspapers down at the three youngest Arashi members who had just asked him and their leader to come up with a solution for their problem.

“Don't be so harsh on them, Sho-chan,” Ohno soothed his friend, but his expression was very content as well. It had turned out as Sho had predicted, they would ask for help when they were ready for it.

“We don't know what to do anymore and hoped you could help us,” Aiba said, directing his pleading eyes at the two oldest Arashi members.

Ohno and Sho exchanged looks and finally, their expressions softened.

“Of course we will help you,” Ohno assured them and the three man let out a relieved sigh.

“But, why did you decided to come to us now?” Sho wanted to know. 

None of the three answered until Nino pushed his elbow into Aiba's side.

“Um... when Julie told Nino and Jun that they should be closer in front of the camera, I knew they were reluctant to do so. Therefore, I suggested that they should sleep with each other,” Aiba started a bit reluctant.

Sho let his newspaper drop while Ohno closed his eyes.

“I just wanted them to get closer and you're the closest when you sleep with each other. I just wanted to be helpful,” Aiba defended himself.

“And you thought that this was a good idea?” Sho asked while he shook his head.

“At that time I THOUGHT it was a good idea, yes,” Aiba replied and pouted.

“Now please tell me that you didn't do it,” Sho went on inquiring and looked at Nino and Jun.

“Well, we did meet at Nino's and Aiba's flat,” Jun began. “We also got naked and started some action...,” he went on.

With a shocked yelp, Sho slapped his hands in front of his eyes.

Seeing his friend like that, Ohno started to laugh.

“They are not doing it right now, Sho-chan. You can open your eyes again,” he grinned, but Sho shook his head.

“Now that I know it, my imagination is showing me things I don't want to see,” he replied and stubbornly kept his hands in front of his eyes.

“But you knew that Nino and I were doing it on a regular basis,” Aiba provided. However, Sho simply howled.

“Anyway,” Nino jumped in as he decided it was time to stop Aiba from spilling more details about their sex life. “Jun and I did not go the full way, because Aiba pushed Jun away from me in a burst of jealousy.”

Sho peeped at the three through his fingers and Ohno nodded knowingly.

“And there we are at our actual problem,” Jun took over from Nino. “We cannot go on the way we did because it'll affect Aiba's and Nino's relationship and as a consequence, Arashi.

“I am actually amazed that Aiba did manage it until this point,” Ohno said thoughtfully and Aiba grinned.

“Don't be proud of it,” Nino hissed and elbowed his boyfriend again.

“However, I think suppressing your feelings is not good – neither for a relationship nor for the person itself,” Ohno went on and Aiba's smile froze while Nino looked triumphant.

Sho, who had finally decided that he couldn't run away with his hands in front of his eyes whenever Aiba, Nino and Jun were present, agreed.

“You are right with decided that we have to stop this fake relationship in order to safe your relationship and Arashi,” he said, looking at Nino and Aiba first and then at Jun.

“But how?” Jun asked and Nino as well as Aiba looked as lost as before.

“We have to go to the boss and tell her the truth,” Sho said as if it was the most simple thing on earth, while the three in front of him went pale.

Ohno, seeing how scared his band members became, put on a smile before he spoke.

“She is scary, but she loves Arashi and I am sure that she will agree that we have to do something about it,” he tried to calm them down. “Also, she is clever and great at managing this agency, so she will come up with something,” he went on, but the three were still not really convinced.

Sho sighed, looked at Ohno and after seeing the tiny nod, Sho offered, “Do you want us to come with you?”

Aiba, Nino and Jun nearly fell over because of their frantic nodding and although Sho did not approve of what they had been doing the last weeks, his chest started to feel warm while his heart bounced happily. His band members and friends were just too cute.

\- * - * -

Julie massaged her temples while she had her eyes closed. The five Arashi members were sitting in front of her and what they had just told her was beginning to cause her a terrible headache.

“You basically want to tell me that you only forced yourself to act as the happy couple while, in reality, you are not even one,” she summarized.

“Yes,” Nino and Jun said in unison, their heads down, not daring to look at their boss.

“Why didn't you tell me before?” she asked and Jun and Nino looked at each other, unsure about what to say.

“Never mind,” her boss suddenly rescued them. “It's too late anyway,” she added, probably realising that it was part of her fault as she hadn't given them a chance to explain the paparazzi pictures properly.

“But you should seriously have sent them right back to me,” she suddenly looked at Sho and Ohno, whose eyes grew wide. However, they simply nodded guiltily not making any attempt to defend themselves.

Upon seeing this, Aiba jumped in. He couldn't stand his friends taking the blame for something they did in consideration of the others.

“I told Nino and Jun to go on with the fake relationship,” he explained and Julie looked at him, shaking her head.

“Aiba, this was one of your worst ideas – and you have quite a few bad ones,” Julie commented and the other band members had to suppress a grin. “If you love someone dearly, you shouldn't agree to let someone else be with him,” she began to lecture Aiba who cast his eyes down.

“I have learned that lesson now,” he gave back and finally, a little smile appeared on Julie's lips.

“This whole matter brought something good then,” she said softly and the Arashi members looked at her in surprise. They really seemed to get off the hook quite easily this time.

“I will think of something to let the public know that you two broke up but that this won't have any affect on Arashi,” she went on and all five gasped.

“However,” Julie added and looked at Aiba and Nino seriously. “Make sure you will never ever get caught! I don't know how your fans will react to another relationship in the bad after this disaster.”

The two promised her to be overly careful. After all, nobody had found out about them until now.

Satisfied, Julie turned towards the rest.

“You will have to take care of them. I will hold you responsible as well if the AiMiya relationship will be found out,” she made clear.

“We will always take full responsibility if one of us is in trouble,” Sho replied.

“None of us has to walk the hard road by himself,” Ohno added and Jun, overwhelmed by the words of his friends simply nodded.

“That's why I love Arashi so much,” Julie sighed happily, and with another nod, she dismissed her favourite band.

They all thanked her, each one with an honest face before they left her office.

“That wasn't as bad as expected,” Aiba concluded after he closed the door behind him. 

“She really went easy on you,” Sho agreed.

Grinning, Aiba reached his hand out to Nino, who immediately took it. Then, Aiba grabbed Jun's hand and while swinging his arms, the three went down the corridor towards the elevator.

Sho and Ohno were walking a few meters behind them.

“Now that this is solved, it's time that YOU are honest with yourself and your feelings,” Sho softly spoke, looking at his band mate.

“I will make my move soon, but I want to give him some time to recover from this whole situation,” Ohno gave back, watching Jun trying to pull his hand out of Aiba's grip – unsuccessfully.

“Don't wait for too long,” Sho advised his friend as he put his arm around Ohno's shoulder before they joined the trio in front of them.

\- * - * -

Exhausted but absolutely content Nino let himself fall onto the sofa next to Aiba. They had already showered and Nino felt like a normal human being again.

Aiba sat down next to him, the fragrance of his shampoo hitting Nino's nostrils and he immediately felt at ease. They all had been pretty tense before today's concert.

It had been their first one of the whole tour which was always something special but this time it was something else.

As promised, Julie had let the public known that Jun and Nino had decided to break up. She had explained that Jun and Nino had mistaken their deep feelings of friendship for love and when they finally sorted out their emotions they had started to become worried about Arashi's future if they'd continue to pretend something that wasn't true.

It had been quite clever from her to tell the public that Arashi would be in danger if the relationship would go on, because that way she was making sure that their fans would be in favour of the break up.

Still, all of them had been worried about the fan's reaction at their concert. Concerts were the one occasion when they were really close to their fans and were able to see and hear what they were thinking. Although the basic mood of their fans had been supportive, they hadn't been sure how much Julie had influenced the information that had gone through to them.

They wanted to feel their fan's support by themselves. However, they had also prepared themselves to see some bashing on the uchiwas. Still, if the majority would be supportive, they decided to count the whole situation as solved.

During the first songs, the fans had indeed been cautious but when Nino and Jun had hugged each other, showing their fans some peace signs afterwards, they had quickly woken up. They had cheered for the ex-couple and seemed to be quite relieved that everything was still alright between the two.

The five Arashi members had concentrated on a lot of fanservice during the concert, trying to include any pairing in some way. However, their biggest aim had be to show their fans that nothing had changed between the members and that the band was still the old Arashi the fans were used to.

According to the loud screams that called for an encore, they had been able to convince their fans that everything was okay. Relieved, they had appeared on stage again and Nino had never felt that fulfilled when singing “You are my soul, soul”. Their hearts had beaten in unison while their voices had joined each other in a soft harmony.

Nino had realised that showing their unity had not just been important for their fans but also for themselves to reassure each one of them that they had overcome this matter without any damage and that Arashi was not in danger anymore.

“You did a great job,” Ohno suddenly pulled him out of his thoughts.

He was already dressed, quite nicely, as Nino noticed, in jeans, a shirt and a jacket. It looked not as casual and comfy as what he'd usually wear after a concert and Nino began to wonder what was going on. However, when he saw Jun, perfectly styled in one of his best suits, he could count two and two together.

“Oh, you look great. But why are you dressed sup like that?” Aiba asked, seemingly not able to get the obvious.

“Ohno and I will have dinner in a restaurant nearby,” Jun replied and a slight blush crept over his cheeks.

“Oh...,” Aiba mouthed and finally, he seemed to have understood.

“Have fun,” Sho quickly rescued the situation and while he whispered a “Good luck” into Ohno's ear, Aiba and Nino were showing the embarrassed Jun a thumbs up.

After the two had left, Sho began to pack his stuff, obviously wanting to take his leave as well. Seeing his friend alone like that, Nino and Aiba started to feel sad for him, so they looked at each other and nodded.

“Do you want to have dinner with us, Sho-chan?” they offered. However, their friend shook his head.

“Thanks for the invitation but I have to get up early tomorrow, so I really need to catch some sleep,” he turned the offer down, aware of the good intentions of the two.

Then, he shouldered his bag and was just about to leave when he turned around again to Aiba and Nino, who, upon the prospect of their friend leaving the room had already scooted closer to another and had begun to caress each other's tights.

“Don't do it on the sofa. We will use it tomorrow again and I don't want to sit on stains,” he warned them before he left the room.

Aiba and Nino grinned at each other.

“He didn't say anything about the table, right?” Aiba said with a smug grin and pulled Nino up from the sofa.

Feeling the excitement rushing thought his body, Nino quickly followed his boyfriend to the said furniture. Finally, he had Aiba for himself and he would take advantage of the fact right now and here...


End file.
